A significant number of individuals subscribe to prepaid mobile phone networks for convenience in payment options. Subscribers to prepaid mobile phone networks generally purchase a mobile phone and pay upfront for the amount of credits desired to operate the mobile phone. The credits are depleted through the usage of the mobile phone to place calls, receive calls, access voicemail, and in some instances the subscriber's credits are depleted when a caller leaves a message on the voice mailbox associated with the subscriber's account. Credits may likewise be forfeited for non-use within a specified time frame, such as non-use within 30 days of adding the credit. Typically, when the subscriber reaches a threshold number of credits remaining on the account, a payment may be made to add more credits without interruption of mobile phone service. However, when a subscriber's account reaches a zero balance of credits the mobile phone becomes inactive and becomes unable to place calls, receive calls, or access voicemail features.
Mobile phone service providers typically give clients the option to associate a credit card or bank account to replenish the prepaid account automatically by charging the credit card or automatically withdrawing from the bank account a fixed amount (i.e. $20.00) when the account balance reaches a triggering amount (i.e. $5.00), or by adding credit at a fixed interval (i.e. every 30 days credit the prepaid account $50.00). However, many persons who use prepaid mobile phones lack credit cards, or are unbanked, and so this option is unavailable to them. These persons must add credit to their account while the account still has credit remaining to keep it active. Failure to do so may result in the subscriber losing his phone number, or being charged a fee to “reactivate” the account. In some instances a prepaid mobile phone subscriber, while not having the ability himself to add credit to his account, may have a family member who would be willing to add credit to the account to keep it active if given the opportunity. This circumstance might be found where a child has gone off to college and is temporarily out of money, and the parent would be willing to keep the child's prepaid mobile phone active if asked. When the account credits lapse, the subscriber can no longer use the mobile phone to place or receive calls. Furthermore, when the account credits lapse, the voice mailbox associated with the account can no longer be accessed by the subscriber. Thus, a lapse in account credits effectively terminates, what in many cases, is an individual's only means of telephonic communications. Furthermore, the lack of access to the subscriber's voice mailbox can have severe negative consequences if the subscriber's family or friends need to contact the subscriber for emergency purposes. Therefore, there remains a need for a system to allow a prepaid mobile phone user to have continued access to their voice mailbox after the exhaustion of prepaid credits.
It is well known that prepaid mobile phones are largely marketed to lower income individuals. Many times these individuals rely on the prepaid mobile phone as their sole form of telephonic communication. The families and friends of these prepaid mobile phone subscribers generally can only reach these individuals through a telephone call placed to the phone number associated with the prepaid mobile phone account. When the credits associated with the account are exhausted, the telephone number becomes inactive and the messages saved on the associated voice mailbox are purged or otherwise unavailable. Vital messages can be lost or made inacessible and the mobile phone subscriber is without means of receiving what may be emergency messages from individuals calling the subscriber's mobile phone number, and while the subscriber may not have the minimum amount required to activate the mobile phone, he may be able to pay a lesser amount to hear an anticipated message. Therefore, there remains a need for an associated voice mailbox, with alternative means of access, so as to allow a subscriber, whose prepaid credits have been exhausted, to receive and check messages left on a voice mailbox associated with the subscriber's mobile phone number.